Mobile Development Thread

[elb401]

I can't wait until that over pass is removed!

[NitekKetin]

From the Real Estate section of Sunday's Press Register, I see Publix is considering a north Midtown location for a new supermarket. The proposed location, on land owned by Infirmary Health System, is near the intersection of Spring Hill Avenue and Mobile Infirmary Boulevard. If the deal goes through, I'm guessing that Mobile Infirmary Blvd. is going to be substantially widened to handle that influx traffic.

Obviously this will give the midtown Winn-Dixie considerable competition.

[Port_of_Bama]

I`m glad that they are putting a publix in the midtown area it showd where the area is headed.

Thanks Alxxx.I guess museum is being built on swamp land and they have to do some extra foundation work it suppose to be completed around October.

[elb401]

When I was in Tampa I worked for a developer that was trying to attract a Publix to a development he was building. They can be hard to work with. They really took several steps back from the urban and new urban designs. They want large suburban spaces now. That space just doesn't [I]seem large enough. It might be. Plus the demographics of the area, I hate to say, might not be up to par. I bet it is going to be passed over for something further to the west maybe in the springhill area. There just isn't large enough tracts of land near midtown to go around. I would like to be wrong though.

[NitekKetin]

I wonder if that tract of land across Dauphin Street from Herndon Park at the intersection with Sage Avenue is suitable.

[Electrical Porpoise]

Originally Posted by NitekKetin

I wonder if that tract of land across Dauphin Street from Herndon Park at the intersection with Sage Avenue is suitable.

Could very well be mistaken, but I believe Hancock Bank is about to build on that site.

[elb401]

Yeah it is big enough even with Hancock bank as an out parcel. that area around sage is pretty neat.

[Port_of_Bama]

MOBILE, Alabama -- Hope is alive on this Ash Wednesday. Mobile fell short in its bid to build tankers for the U.S. Air Force, but prospects remain strong that the city can still become a major center of aircraft production.

Start with the close relationships the city has forged with the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., one of the world's premiere aerospace firms. The bond was forged over 6 years in the trenches fighting Boeing Co. for the tanker contract.

The parent company of Airbus has deep pockets, a broad portfolio of products and a robust desire to establish production on U.S. soil.

"We could have made no better choice than to come to Mobile, Alabama," Ralph Crosby, chairman of EADS North America, said in an interview last week. "The partnership we've formed is real and it is enduring. The fact is, as far as EADS is concerned, Mobile is at the top of the list for any commercial production we might establish in America."

Mobile holds a second ace card in the Brookley Aeroplex. The former Air Force base has prime access to rail lines, interstate highways and a deepwater port.

Brookley also boasts superior runways, hangar space and a ready pool of non-union labor. Those attributes - and more - make it a freak of nature for aerospace manufacturers.

The tanker war kept Brookley tied up for half a decade; now that it's over, the world's finest available site for aircraft production is back on the market.

State and local officials crafted a generous package of tax breaks and other incentives tied to the tanker plant. The package includes some $200 million worth of interest-free financing available through the state's GO Zone bond program, set to expire at the end of this year.

That incentive package remains available to EADS, but it won't sit on the shelf forever.

Governor Robert Bentley to face incentives challenges

The challenge for local and state officials is timing. EADS needs time to examine its options and determine if a business case still exists in Mobile. Gov. Robert Bentley, meanwhile, will face increasing pressure to release those incentives for projects elsewhere in Alabama.

Bentley has stated that his priority is on helping small and existing businesses to expand, as opposed to recruiting new mega-projects. That's a reasonable approach, but opportunities like the one represented by EADS are too good to pass up.

And remember that there's more than one fish in the sea. EADS and Airbus may be the best candidates, but they're hardly alone. Boeing officials are already hinting about a national search for a site to build a replacement for its 737 jet.

The Chicago-based company may seem an unlikely suitor, given its rough treatment of Alabama during the tanker fight. But recall that Brookley was as one of the top finalists for Boeing's 787 Dreamliner plant in 2003.

The temptation after such a stinging loss is to surrender. Waving the white flag now, however, would squander the prime opportunity Mobile possesses. In some ways, the dream of building big airplanes has never been closer than it is today.

http://blog.al.com/live/2011/03/eads_still_likes_mobile_for_ai.html

[Port_of_Bama]

Some said that, if Baldwin does get more crowded, it might be good news for neighboring counties.

“Suddenly the commute from Escambia doesn’t seem that bad,” said Jim Searcy, executive director the Coastal Gateway Regional Economic Development Authority.

Searcy’s group promotes economic development in Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia and Monroe counties. Escambia County has shown signs of suburban growth that counteract its rural shrinkage, he said.

Ingram said that, as Baldwin booms, its prosperity will spill over. “No one who wants progress in south Alabama should be hoping that Baldwin County stops being successful,” Ingram said.

Could Escambia merge with Mobile`s MSA or CSA by the middle of the decade if this is true ? And I wonder how many Escambia County residents commute to Mobile for work ?


http://blog.al.com/live/2011/03/will_baldwin_county_continue_r.html

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Carnival is pulling out of Mobile Even though they were ALWAYS booked over capacity, they said they weren't making enough money? Something sounds fishy, seems like something must have happened...

[bystander1]

Geeez, I hate to hear more bad news Mobile. Seems like when it rains it pours...

What's going on?

Stop the bleeding...!

[NitekKetin]

Hopefully, the Terminal will become the homeport for another cruise line.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Considering how well Carnival was doing in Mobile, I can't imagine that some other company wouldn't at least try. Like I said, something else must have happened. I don't understand why they wouldn't just try to raise the prices if money was an issue, especially when all of the cruises were COMPLETELY booked.

[elb401]

Yes, thats what I thought. why didn't they raise prices? Oh well, you know the news is really over stating the impact on hotels. I used to work at the Battle House downtown and we got very few bookings from it. I'm thinking another cruise line will come along and give it a try. You know Royal Carribean looked at it about 2 years ago but Carnival had first option for a second ship so they couldn't locate here. I just hope Carnival's decision doesn't keep others from coming here. Lets be thankful that only about 5-10 people are going to be directly effected by it and not 2,000.

Remember we didn't lose anything with EADS!!! That was just future potential. Mobile's economy is not falling.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Yea, I mean, this is definitely a hit, but I don't think things are going to keep looking like this. Let's not forget that Mobile County added over 10,000 people in less than 3 years. Mobile isn't tanking, and if anything it's going to start growing even faster in the next few years.

Anyways, considering that these ships were always booked full, I can't imagine that another line wouldn't move in and take advantage of a quality facility and a market that is already established. It takes the cost out of research, and stuff like that. The infrastructure is already there, the demand is already there.

[Port_of_Bama]

I agree with tredici something is fishy the Alabama cruise terminal has been over booked from the Holiday,Fantacy,and Elation....Carnival was nice and I`m glad that they gave us try but they are like Toyota of cruise lines Royal and Norweigin are the Audi and BMW of the cruise industry....


A couple of years ago a Norweigin cruise ship was docked at the Port of Mobile for ship repairs the ship was huge.I remember seeing it on airport blvd from downtown and it had a art deco look to it !

[thoraudio]

I don't get it either. You only save a very few miles from New Orleans to Cancun vs. Mobile to Cancun.... There has to have been a port cost dispute.

[OCA REP]

Originally Posted by tredici

Mobile isn't tanking...

Very true... no pun intended (Boeing -vs- EADS)

Originally Posted by Port_of_Bama

Carnival was nice and I`m glad that they gave us try but they are like Toyota of cruise lines Royal and Norweigin are the Audi and BMW of the cruise industry...

Ummmm... no.

As a long-time cruiser, Carnival and NCL are lower-end products in my opinion. If you wanted to try and entice the Audi and BMW crowd to even consider cruising out of Mobile, you would have to offer a Royal Caribbean or Celebrity option. If you have cruised much, you know there is a distinct difference!

[Electrical Porpoise]

Originally Posted by OCA REP

If you have cruised much, you know there is a distinct difference!

That is basically what he was saying.


Fingers crossed for Royal Caribbean one day.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Originally Posted by thoraudio

I don't get it either. You only save a very few miles from New Orleans to Cancun vs. Mobile to Cancun.... There has to have been a port cost dispute.

I actually, I wouldn't be surprised if it was a shorter distance between Mobile and Cancun. I mean, you have to take into consideration the extra distance that travel through the Mississippi Delta adds. That's a lot of mileage, and a lot of gas, especially when travel upstream back to NOLa.

I get the feeling that they were just feeding us some BS, cause they knew the AL.com forumers would be stupid enough to believe it.